


High Hopes

by bellexreve



Series: Werewolf!Iruka [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Werewolf!Iruka, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2019-07-15 17:30:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16067897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellexreve/pseuds/bellexreve
Summary: Iruka-sensei fiddles with his shirt for a moment before he leans closer. “Promise me you’ll keep it secret?”Not able to help it, Naruto perks up. No one trusts him with secrets. Ever. Well, Mizuki-sensei said he did, but he also tried to kill him so that doesn’t count. But Iruka-sensei…





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Iruka as werewolf has officially taken over my life
> 
>  
> 
> title from "High Hopes" by Panic! at the Disco

Naruto is crying and he can’t help it.

Iruka-sensei is also crying, but that doesn’t make things better because Mizuki-sensei hurt him and he is going to _die_ and it’s all Naruto’s fault.

“Naruto-kun”, Iruka-sensei gasps. He still has his hands around where Naruto is still clutching his- _Naruto’s_ hitai-ate. There’s a bloody handprint on the tree just above his head. “I need you to do me a favor.”

Naruto nods because this is the least he can do, right? Even if it makes him sob harder.

“I need you to perform a sequence of hand seals”, Iruka-sensei continues, gingerly pulling up his shirt. “And break this seal.”

It looks different from Naruto’s but the placement is the same, circling the belly button but elongating to two points. Naruto doesn’t understand why he’s supposed to break it, but with some effort he calms his breathing enough to follow Iruka-sensei’s instructions.

But then when he is actually breaking the seal, Iruka-sensei’s eyes start glowing gold and Naruto’s understanding of the world tips another few degrees on its axis.

* * *

 

The old man walking in is what wakes Naruto.

He’s on a hospital bed, the ghostly silhouettes of the night before coming into focus with the early morning light. Iruka-sensei is sitting next to him. The sensation of a hand running through his hair is unfamiliar but not unwelcome.

“I heard you let him pass?”, the old man asks while he settles into a chair. It creaks like Naruto imagines old people’s bones do.

The hand in his hair pauses and it’s all Naruto can do to keep feigning sleep. “He did well”, Iruka-sensei answers. Something about his voice is off. He doesn’t sound annoyed or angry. He sounds like he did when he was crying, just without the crying bit. “Those were the most perfect clones I have ever seen.”

The old man nods before he reaches into a sleeve. It looks like he wants to get out his pipe, but instead he brings out an inkstone and brush. “I believe you’re in need of this?”

“Yes.” The hand leaves Naruto’s hair and when Iruka-sensei shifts to take them, he blocks Naruto’s view of the old man. “Thank you.”

The old man nods again. The chair creaks in agreement when he stands. After the door has slid close once again, Iruka-sensei looks down at Naruto. “I know you’re awake.”

Finally, Naruto opens his eyes all the way. “What’s that for?”, he asks shifting to make space to put the inkstone down.

Iruka-sensei pauses in lifting up his shirt. “The seal you broke yesterday. I have to redo it.”

Naruto frowns. He remembers how Iruka-sensei’s eyes had turned gold now, right before he was sent off to fetch help. He had been more worried about finding a way to sneak in after getting kicked out of the hospital than to wonder about it. Maybe he should have asked that nice shinobi who had let him climb through his window. On the other hand, he probably wouldn’t have known, considering he had gotten his ass kicked hard enough to end up hiding almost his entire face. Naruto should offer some advice as thank you.

“Why did you have it anyway?”, Naruto asks.

Iruka-sensei fiddles with his shirt for a moment before he leans closer. “Promise me you’ll keep it secret?”

Not able to help it, Naruto perks up. _No one_ trusts him with secrets. _Ever._ Well, Mizuki-sensei said he did, but he also tried to kill him so that doesn’t count. But _Iruka-sensei…_

“I promise!”, Naruto whispers back, barely remembering that secrets were shared _quietly._

Iruka-sensei grins. “My mother” (whom the monster sealed inside Naruto’s body _killed)_ “Comes from a very old family outside of Konoha. We are… Well, more like _I am…_ a werewolf.”

Naruto blinks. “A werewolf? Like in those books? So you turn into a wolf at night and eat people?”

“I don’t eat people”, Iruka-sensei protests. “But yes, I can turn into a wolf. The reason that I don’t, however is because other werewolves would notice and that could put missions in danger.”

Dogs are really territorial, right? So… Wolves must be, too. Naruto nods slowly. It makes sense. “So the seal hides you from other werewolves?”

Iruka-sensei nods.

“So why did I have to break it?”

“Because without it I heal faster”, Iruka sensei explains, pulling his shirt off. “And that gave you enough time to save me.”

Naruto flushes with the praise. It’s embarrassing, but not entirely unpleasant. He wonders if this is why Sakura-chan works so had in school.

Trying to get himself back under control, Naruto sits up. “Can you teach me how to do it?”

Iruka-sensei seems surprised, but he smiles and finally, Naruto can place the expression.

It’s pride.


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto was wrong about the nice shinobi- he’s an asshole. Naruto worries for the old man if this is the best he has for a jounin-sensei. First, Kakashi-sensei is _late,_ then he’s rude and then he is late _again_ the next morning. Naruto’s butt still hurts from the ‘thousand years of pain’ crap jutsu and he tells Iruka-sensei as much that evening.

Iruka-sensei laughs hard enough to snort tea out of his nose. “He got you with that, too, huh?”

“Kakashi-sensei used that one you?!”

“No, not Kakashi-sensei. _My_ old jounin-sensei did.” Iruka-sensei is still giggling a little as he blows his nose. Usually, Naruto would feel a little (okay, a lot) put out, but then even if he knows that Iruka-sensei is fine now, he still can’t get the image of him leaning against the tree out of his head.

“Was he late all the time, too?”, Naruto asks, already dreading the answer.

Iruka-sensei ruffles his hair. “I fear that is a Hatake specialty.”

With a groan, Naruto lets his head fall onto the kotatsu. It’s just his luck to get saddled with the stupid jonin, with Sasuke-teme to boot. At least there was Sakura-chan.

And Iruka-sensei, too. Naruto doesn’t quite know how to feel, sitting at the kotatsu in his small apartment, the overcooked dinner filling his belly and a cup of the tea Iruka-sensei always smells like in front of him. He guesses it should feel like back at the orphanage, but instead it feels warm and comfortable like nothing there ever did.

“Don’t worry, Naruto”, Iruka-sensei says. “I’m sure Kakashi-sensei will prove himself to be a good teacher.”

Naruto groans because that doesn’t inspire confidence at all… but leans into the hand patting his shoulder.

 

* * *

 

By the second month of endless boring missions, it’s a habit to come visit Iruka-sensei in the evenings. Sometimes they still meet up at Ichiraku’s (and Naruto doesn’t even mind when the rest of Team Seven tags along. Much) but by now Naruto sets the table without thinking too hard about where the plates are, or helps with chopping vegetables. Sometimes if it’s very late, Iruka-sensei even lets him stay the night.

Naruto doesn't know if Iruka-sensei is aware of it, but when Naruto is curled up on the couch underneath the spare blanket, he can tilt his head just so to have the perfect view of the photographs on the wall. They’re of Iruka-sensei with genin team and jounin-sensei, of his friends and most recently, a copy of the one Kakashi-sensei insisted on taking with Team Seven.

The one Naruto looks at the most, though, is of a younger Iruka-sensei, cradled against a man’s chest and a woman standing next to them. His parents. Iruka-sensei is a perfect blend of their features and Naruto can’t help but wonder if that was the case for his personality, too.

 

* * *

 

Close to the ocean as it is, the nights in the Land of Waves are wet and cold. Even Naruto feels it through his jacket and when Kakashi-sensei wakes him for his watch, he almost wants to go lay his blanket over Sakura-chan’s shivering form. He doesn’t.

The moon is bright, peeking through the trees. Kakashi-sensei’s hair glows white, like the masks of the strangers that had sometimes come to visit at the orphanage. (Huh. It’s been years since Naruto last thought of them.)

“Kakashi-sensei”, he whispers, but stops. He can see the man pausing in his peripheral, but Naruto’s looking at Sasuke. Breathing so calmly, it’s easy to imagine him back at the bridge, unconscious and so still, Naruto had thought him dead. Everything after that is a blur and even now, safely on the way back, he doesn’t want to think about it. It just makes his chest hurt, makes him want to curl up in a ball and hide.

The night seems even colder now.

Kakashi-sensei sighs. “What is it, Naruto?”

Maybe it’s a silly question, but ever since that night two months ago, Naruto has been wondering about it again. “Why does no one ever talk about my parents?”

Nothing. _Ever._ Not even to blame his inability to get the school stuff into his head. Not like Shikamaru who’s as lazy as his dad, or Kiba who sounds so much like his mother, it’s scary. If anything, it makes Naruto wonder if he's anything like his parents even more.

Kakashi-sensei sighs again. “Maa, did Iruka-sensei tell you to ask me?” He leans his cheek onto his hand, looking as lazy as ever.

“No, I… I never asked him.”

“Well.” Kakashi-sensei scratches at the back of his head. “The reason why no one speaks of your parents is because the Third has forbidden it.”

Naruto frowns. “That’s stupid.”

“You might find it stupid, but the Hokage’s word is law.” Kakashi-sensei shrugs.

Obviously, Naruto knows that. It doesn’t make the fact that the entirety of Konoha is keeping secrets from him any better. Actually, it just makes it worse. Naruto only found out that the Kyubi is sealed inside of him because that stupid Mizuki-sensei told him. But instead of focusing on that, Naruto asks what he _actually_ wants to know. ”Did you know them?”

For a long moment, Kakashi-sensei says nothing. Even with the moonlight, his face is cast in shadows and Naruto can’t guess at his expression.

“I did”, he admits before he turns around and goes to sleep.

 

* * *

 

By the time they make it back to Konoha and finish their report (directly to the old man, too) it’s late enough that even Naruto is ready to pass out on the spot. His feet hurt (as does the rest of his limbs) and the thought of dragging himself all the way to the other side of the village is kind of discouraging. Actually, the ground doesn't look too bad…

“Naruto.”

Naruto jerks his head up. “I’m awake!”, he answers (even though his head _had_ started to drop.) The others are staring behind him.

Iruka-sensei has followed them, his satchel slung across his shoulder. His shift at the mission desk must have ended. He greets Sakura-chan and Sasuke, too, before smiling at Kakashi-sensei. “C-rank curse?”

Kakashi-sensei answers in a drawn out sigh. “C-rank curse. It turned into an A-rank.”

Iruka-sensei nods. “Well, I am glad all of you made it back okay. Surely you want to go home as soon as possible, so don’t let me keep you.” Even as he says it, he puts a hand on Naruto’s shoulder and really, no one should blame Naruto for leaning into his hold. Iruka-sensei is warm, and even though Naruto usually doesn’t get cold easily, it’s nice. Comforting.

Kakashi-sensei nods. “I was just about to take them home, but I guess I’ll leave Naruto to you, Iruka-sensei. Say goodbye, children.”

Naruto’s too tired to care about Kakashi-sensei’s tone- seriously, why did he have to go back to speaking like they were _five-_ and bids his teammates goodnight. Sasuke even answers with a _whole word_ instead of his usual grunt. Naruto watches them leave, wondering if he can just fall asleep where he stands.

“Come on”, Iruka-sensei says. “You can stay over.”

The trek to Iruka-sensei’s apartment is short and familiar. Naruto tries his best but he keeps stumbling over his own feet, bumping into Iruka-sensei. After the third time, Iruka-sensei puts an arm across his shoulders and as awkward as it is to match his step, it puts Naruto right against where he’s the warmest.

Soon, Naruto is tucked into the couch again, but instead of leaving for his bedroom, Iruka-sensei sits on the coffee table. He looks almost naked without his flak jacket and hitai-ate, which is a little weird because Naruto has seen him like this before.His face is as blank as the masks of the strangers.

Naruto tries hard to keep his eyes open, to not falls asleep quite yet. “Iruka-sensei.” It takes a lot of effort to get a hand out from under the blanket. Distantly, Naruto is aware that he should be embarrassed by how needy he might seem, reaching for Iruka-sensei’s hand like this.

But Iruka-sensei takes it without hesitation. “What is it, Naruto?”

(Maybe Kakashi-sensei went and watched Iruka-sensei teach. After all, Iruka-sensei is the best teacher ever and Kakashi-sensei isn’t. But then, Kakashi-sensei is also older, so even though he knows where Naruto came from, Iruka-sensei might not. It’s not what Naruto wants to know anyway.)

Naruto squeezes Iruka-sensei’s hand as much as he dares before asking.

“Tell me about your parents?”


End file.
